p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · If you are a potential buyer on the Buy/Sell forum...

Please do not get mad if you send a few PM's with questions and at the same time, another user sends a payment for the item you are inquiring about and you miss out on buying the item.

Happened to me last night while I was looking through PM's and responding, one person sent me a few questions/PM's about my 7D and before I could finish responding, another user sent me payment. After explaining the situation to the question "asker", I was PM'ed with a sarcastic remark. Sorry but first payment received will 99.9% of the time get the item. Given the situation, I was not going to cancel someone's payment for someone who had only expressed interest - no promises were made.

Sorry for the rant but I know there has to be other stories out there that new buyers can learn from. So I guess the moral of my story is.... the early bird gets the worm!

p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · If you are a potential buyer on the Buy/Sell forum...

I've been on the opposite end of the spectrum, as the potential buyer who lost out, though I never expressed animosity toward the seller, nor did I fire out a retort. Still, it does sting, especially when you have every intention of buying the item. I did miss a lens on the B&S boards, but the seller followed-up with a private sale to me of a second lens (same model) in his possession. Worked out.

I agree, first come-first serve. Though, some buyers pull the trigger without asking questions, and others, like myself, want to confirm a few things first with the seller. Sometimes, we lose out. A week back, I missed out on a Buy It Now that I had asked the seller to activate for an eBay auction. By chance, another bidder was watching the auction, and within the two minutes that the seller took to create a Buy It Now and email me to tell me it was ready, the other bidder bought my goods. That one did piss me off a bit, haha.

p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · If you are a potential buyer on the Buy/Sell forum...

This is one of the ways the feedback system can work in a buyer's favor. While accurate descriptions of gear is important and photos can be useful, it is the reputation of the seller that can best satisfy a prospective buyer. If the item appears to be in excellent condition with a competitive price AND the seller has demonstrated he or she is trustworthy, the astute bidder will act quickly. The more competitive the price, the faster a person needs to be.

In my experience, questions are often a prospective buyer's way of kicking the tires while decided whether to make a purchase. I've waited too many times for someone who in the end simply walked away, to give much consideration to anyone not prepared to act. You snooze, you lose. It is as simple as that.

The recent change implemented by Fred allows us to check each members feedback history at any time simply by checking their profile. This is a great place to buy and sell gear!

p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · If you are a potential buyer on the Buy/Sell forum...

Sorry to hear that you waited too long and your time was wasted. As a buyer, I just ask the questions I can think of that I feel weren't addressed in the OP's thread. After I get satisfactory answers, I buy. Sometimes, while the correspondence is going on, another buyer beats me to it.

p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · If you are a potential buyer on the Buy/Sell forum...

Skarkowtsky wrote:
I've been on the opposite end of the spectrum, as the potential buyer who lost out, though I never expressed animosity toward the seller, nor did I fire out a retort. Still, it does sting, especially when you have every intention of buying the item. I did miss a lens on the B&S boards, but the seller followed-up with a private sale to me of a second lens (same model) in his possession. Worked out.

I agree, first come-first serve. Though, some buyers pull the trigger without asking questions, and others, like myself, want to confirm a few things first with the seller. Sometimes, we lose out. A week back, I missed out on a Buy It Now that I had asked the seller to activate for an eBay auction. By chance, another bidder was watching the auction, and within the two minutes that the seller took to create a Buy It Now and email me to tell me it was ready, the other bidder bought my goods. That one did piss me off a bit, haha.

I've been on the opposite side also but in no way did I have any hard feelings for the seller either. I know the exact feeling - me and a gent on Ebay worked out a deal over the phone for a video camera and I was going to do a local pickup - just as quick as we had worked out the deal, someone else had used Buy It Now! The seller ended up going with the guy who used "Buy It Now". For me, if the seller has 100% feedback and I REALLY want the item, I won't hesitate.

p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · If you are a potential buyer on the Buy/Sell forum...

CGrindahl wrote:
This is one of the ways the feedback system can work in a buyer's favor. While accurate descriptions of gear is important and photos can be useful, it is the reputation of the seller that can best satisfy a prospective buyer. If the item appears to be in excellent condition with a competitive price AND the seller has demonstrated he or she is trustworthy, the astute bidder will act quickly. The more competitive the price, the faster a person needs to be.

In my experience, questions are often a prospective buyer's way of kicking the tires while decided whether to make a purchase. I've waited too many times for someone who in the end simply walked away, to give much consideration to anyone not prepared to act. You snooze, you lose. It is as simple as that.

The recent change implemented by Fred allows us to check each members feedback history at any time simply by checking their profile. This is a great place to buy and sell gear!...Show more →

p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · If you are a potential buyer on the Buy/Sell forum...

I have found it useful in my B&S ad to make note that "I reserve the option to sell to whomever I choose, irrespective of the order in which I receive inquiries." In the selling transactions I've had, I can remember doing that only once or twice (but then I don't keep track either).

p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · If you are a potential buyer on the Buy/Sell forum...

I would do the same. In addition, once I give my PP info to somebody, I always tell the next person I reply to that somebody already has my PP info and whoever pays first will win. That way, it is fair to everybody.

p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · If you are a potential buyer on the Buy/Sell forum...

Binh Ly wrote:
I would do the same. In addition, once I give my PP info to somebody, I always tell the next person I reply to that somebody already has my PP info and whoever pays first will win. That way, it is fair to everybody.

This is perhaps the fairest way to deal with it. However, we can't make everyone happy.

I lost out on a lens myself (great deal from a reputable member, too) because I had a question on it and someone else pulled the trigger before I did. I didn't get mad at the seller. He got money and commitment from someone else before I committed.

p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · If you are a potential buyer on the Buy/Sell forum...

So I guess the moral of my story is....the early bird gets the worm!
This ^ Props to Tony & Binh....that's how it should be.
With Fred's awesome feedback system in place, anyone that's spent a fair amount of time perusing the B&S
can figure this out. Guys askin' for pics and playing 20 questions with established members probably aren't
going to be real successful here. People forget we weren't always dealin' with a tight economy. Years past the
B&S freakin' screamed. Stuff flew out in hours...sometimes minutes. You'd go grab a bite and come back to
find your listing on page 3. BUMP Sellers rules for who gets the goose, stay typing my friends.